Internal-combustion engine



oct. zo, 1925. 1,551,785

F.l D- SHEPHERD yINTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE Filed Dec. l. 1919 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 oct. 20,1925. F. D. 5HEPi-FdD INTERNAL COMBUSTDT :WV

Filed Dec. l, Ts' @meis-Sham 2 y 42 @-4. /C M ont. 2o, 1925.

1,557,785 F. D. SHEPHERD INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE Filed Deo. 1. 1919 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 /I 4 9 4f /g @munten fam/C @,Md'.

Patented Oct. 20, 1925.

UNiTED STATES FRANK D. SHEPHERD, OF AURORA, ILLINOIS.

INTERNAL-COMBUSTION ENGINE.

Application yfiled December'l, 1919. Serial No. 341,655. i i

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANK a citizen of the United States, residing at Aurora, in the county of Kane and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Internal-Combustionr Engines, of which the following is a specilication, referencel being had therein to the accompanying drawings. y

My Ainvention has to do with gas engine construction iny so far as it is concerned with valve mechanism, and stated generally, or in i. Y

anda ported chamber 15, a v'rod or4 stem .16, that entends upward from the valve, and

brief, my object is to utilize to the maximum Y the fuel to the extent to which proportion 5 of fuel energy utilized to fuel consumption,.

is dependent on the valve mechanism, and also to provide a valve mechanism that may be readily and economically manufactured and assembled, and not be subject to derangement by the conditions under which it operates. To attain my object, my invention consists in the construction Vsubstantially as hereinafter specified and defined by or comprehended within the scope of the ap pended claims. v

In the drawings:--

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of theheadi or upper part of a gas engine, illustrating an embodiment of my invention; l

Fig. 2 is a vertical section-on line 2-y-2 of Fig. 1;

Figs. 3, 4, 5, and Gare likeAviews, respectively, of other embodiments of my invention' i 7 is a detail plan view of the twin spring; I

Fig. 8 isa detail view, inside elevation of a different form of containerr construction;

Fig. 9 is a detail view showing a form of bushing for Vdetachable head engine that may be used in place of the bushing of the l integral head engine of Fig. 4;

Fig. 10 is a. detail view in section of a hollow stem that may be used without in- I yshown in Figs. 2 and 3, the hollow, or chamsulating material; v I

Figs. 11 and 12 are, respectively, detail views, in section, of spring containers and springs that I may employ.

u efore proceeding with a description, in detail, of the various embodiments of my'A D. SHEPHERD,`

C The stem jure the spring, befpfrevented.

invention shown in thev drawings, it is proper to say that my invention is applicable to both L-headand -T-head types, to both detachable and integral head engines, and to lboth intake and exhaust valves. I illustrate both detachable and integral head construction.

The valve mechanism is of the shown `in numerous of my patents', and briefly described, comprises a poppetvalve 10, havy,ing a seat 11, that controls a passage 12 in the `head'l that connects the cylinder! 14 a. coil spring 17, in a shell or container 18, that movesthe valve` to its seat, following lthe -motion of the usual lifter cam, (not shown). guide hole 19 that passes through the head 13 from the interi-or ofthe container, ,which hole may be directly in the head itself, as shown in Fig. 2, or through a bushing, shown in Figs. 3,'4 andA 5, and hereafter described. i

Within the container the stem;l has an enexsk The stem 16 passes through a" largement which may be an integral Ahead 20,:as in Figs. 2 and 4,or a separate head 21as in Figs.. 3 and 5, that has a socket in itsfunderside and fits upon the top of the stem'.y

16 may fbe separate fromthe valve, as in Figs. 2 and 4, or integralI therewith, asin Figs. 3 and 5. i

It is of high importance thatv the ,Stem

Y be as light as possible to assure quick movement to effect prompt seating of the valve,

and thatv the transmission of temperature to the interior of the container apt to in- I` accomplish this ,two-fold `result by thesingle-eX- pedient of making the stem hollow and 'placing within it a heat-insulating material o f less specific gravity than the metal .of the stem, such as asbestos, for example. As

ber. 22 extends from the top of the stem nearly to the bottoni, andthe filling 23 is asbestos, mineral wool, etc. The top of the 4chamber isclos'ed or sealed by the ,sprinv engaging disl er head, 21, in Figs,

with graphite or mica compounds or other lubricating and lightening material 25, and it has. radial holes 26y through which the Inaterial reaches to the exterior of the stein, and thus supplies lubricant thereat. I leinploy a material that Yhastahigher coeci'ent of expansion than the inetal of the stein so that on being heated, it expands more, and forces the lubricant into close contact with the surface of the guide hole. The

lifting stern 29 in Fig. 5 yis also hollow and Vil'lfeydfby lubricating and lightening niaterialhand it has like radial holes 290 and its end next the valve 'is closed by a cap 291.

It" desired, both the lifting and seating ze Steinsinay bel inerely liollovlv,l with no iijlling, as shown in Figs.l 3 andv 10, but vented toafllow the escape ofheated and expanding air, orgias." Y Thev hollowY seating stein, when empty 25' or, not i'i'lledi with aheat insulator, should have. its Aportion that is outside the guide, when the valve `is seated, .and which is eX- Y posed to theV high temperatures, solid,v as shown. in Figsl and 10, and as shown in FSO, Figs. 4 and 5, so'that hot tube action will be avoided' The, hollow part thatv is within .the guide is protected by the .water acket around the guide. Y

A sina'llrvent hole oropening is provided ."ijn .the `disk 2l andthe cap 24 to permit the escape .of air or gas nas the volume thereof isincreased Adiie to the high temperatures, so as to'avoid any swelling of the stein from the. pressure .by the increase of volumethalt'niijglit lcanse ,the steil? t0.. bind iD. CS eine.. y

"fliebushingv3,0. Of. F 3 iS Y Simple dangeless. tube, tightly tit'tin'gg yan opening in the engine head that may be a sponge castingirnpregnated with a vrictiomess-inaterlal,W1li{Cl1.,-Bsi9ec1al1y the/Case of manne engines, may be graphite, or otherinaterial i .that will protect the stein from they Corrosive eiect'ofsalt water or air, o-r,if preferred, the bushings3l shown. in, Figs. 4 andi) maybe usedtliathaie a flange 32 at 'their outer ends that overlap the contiguous siirlace oit .the engine head, andare engaged on `the outer sides-bythe lower end of. the spring container 18, which. inayliave y anv internal annular ,giloove 33t() receive the Han-ge 32A as shown in Fig. 4, or vthe flange ,inayhavean annular gEOove 34 vvto seat `the bottom. 0f .the container, as in Fig. 9.. In 4 the engine, is anA integral head one and thek hele filled by the bushing iS large enough for the passageV of the valve, while the ,bushing shown in Fig-..9 is for detachable heard, which has a, smaller biisl'iing hole in it, although the hole might be as large as in Fig. 4 for the removal of the valve Vwithout removing the head itself.

n Figs. 5 and 1l, the bushing 35 is integral with the container and in Figs. G and 12 it is in the form ci ai cylindrical block or plug 36 that is secured by radial pins 37 to a downward extension 38 of the bottoni oi' n the container.

It will be noted that in all the forms of niy invention shownY in Figs. 2 to l2, (eX- cept Fig. 8) there is no threaded connection between the container and the engine head, but Y the container simply enters a socket within a l'zvige 39'in the top of the head, as

threaded connection ol the container and head, I employ a clamping device vof the type shown in Figs. 1,2,- 3, 4, 5,.'6 and 8, to lioldtlie container with Vthe desired thightness against the engine head. Saiddevice is in the form of i a yoke 4l, that extends ,above each containei as in Fig. 3, or a row of them as in VFig. 1and is strongly bolted, to the engine head, and which has a set screw 42 that V'bears against apressure distributing disk .4.3 vappliedto tlie'closed head'of the containen the set screw having a lock nut The container head may be integral, as iii Figs.- 2, 3, 4, 6, and l2, or a sepa-rate cover 45, as in Figs. 5, 8 and ll which has a flange that slips over the container, as in Fignv; or a separatev cover' 46;, as in rFigs. 8 and 1l,- th'at slips in the open end of, the container. Gas-.tight conditions at "abutting surfaces are secured by gasket or ground.

joints'. Y

The container construction shown in Figs. .6 and 8 permits of all parts being assembled away from the engine, exceptthe clanipingdevice, and hence, is a form that may be 'handled andv sold as an accessory.

8-I,show the .clamp device vfitted to hold" only the separate cover 46 upon the container, Athe yoke 48 catching under a 'flange 49 on the container, and the screw 50 bearing against the cover.' The container, in this case, has a threaded extension 47 from its bottoni .by which it is attached to the lengi-ne head, n

The lower portion of the stein i6 is preferably, as shown in Figs. 4, 5, 6' and l0, reducedv in diameter from a point at orjust below the bottoni of its guide hole, when the valve is seated. This provides a sharp shoulder 160 that scrapesoii any carbon or other deposits at the bottom portions oi tween it and/the guide hole, and thus stickn ing of the stem by an accumulationi of carbon, is `prevented as well as from leapansion of the lower part of the stem from the high temperatures -lto4 Awhich it is exposed in the combustion chamber. To give a good wide bearing of the stem against the valve, it may have a head or enlargement 161 at its valve-engaging end, as shown in Figs. l and 6; or when that is not required the head may be omitted, as in Fig. 10. The reduced part of the stem may be either tapering, as shown in Figs. 5, 6 and 10; or cylindrical as shown in Fig. et.

I may use a single spring in the container as shown in Figs. 2, 3, e and 5, or as shown in Figs. 11 and 12, a plural number of springs 51 may be used, placed, for example, one within the other and acting simultaneously to seat the valve, and of the same pitch, as shown in Fig. 12, or of opposite pitch, as shown in Fig. 11.

I have discovered that a coil spring-tends to buckle in the direction away from the bearing point of the end of the spring, and thus an unbalanced pressure is exerted on the valve. lVhen I use two springs, I place them so that their bearing points are opposite, and hence the tendency of one to buckle in one direction and its eect on the valve, is opposed and neutralized by the other. To prevent any displacement of the springs from this relative position I may secure them thereat as by a teat or lug 510 on the end that enters a hole in the part engaged by the spring, which, preferably, is not the stem head or disk, as I desire the conditions to be such as to leave the valve free to rotate relative to its seat to avoid localized wear. The function of the spring ends on the part they engage will in some cases, especially as the finished ends are more or less sharp or pointed and extend in opposite directions, be to prevent relative rotation thereof. The plural spring idea may be carried out, as shown in Fig. 6, where there are two springs 52 that are duplicates or twins, the coils of both being the same diameter and they adjoin in the direction of the axes of the springs, and not transversely thereof, as in Figs. 11 and 12, where one is smaller in diameter than and is surrounded by the other. The terminals of the twin springs at the same end of the. spring are arranged diametrically opposite in accordance with the principle of the same arrangement in Figs. 11 and 12. Some of the advantages of the twin springs are that together they have the pressure-exerting strength of a single spring, Without the objectionable thickness of wire a single spring would have, for together the twin springs may be of a gage to equal the strength of such a singlespring; and asth'ey arelof't-he `saine diameterp eachE perfectly opposes any buckling tendency ofthe fothen rvAgain, as `in dual'valve engines the valves are small and set close together,the pluralspring -`idea cannot be well carried' out if onefspring .surrounds anotherf'because' vthe internal diameter required of the `container to take them could not lbe made small enough to suit the space limitations.` TWith the twin spring arrangement that 'difficulty is overcome, since both springs are of the same diameter. It is not necesary with the twin springsto provide,y any locking device, such as hole-engaging teats or lugs, to preserve their relative position, because the close lapping of the coils of one on the other at the ends serves that purpose.

The twin spring arrangement is appli cable to vother types of valves than myv spring-containerl type, and I embrace other types within the scope of'my claims where l the language thereof warrants.

I claim:-

1. The combination of an internal combustion engine having a port, of a valve for closing the port, a hollow valve stein that bears against the valve and is separate therefrom, and means operating against the stem for actuating the valve.

2. A valve mechanism for internal combustion engines, comprising a valve, a hollow stem for the valve, said stem having a filling of heat insulating material, and means that operates on the stem for actuating the valve and is protected by the heat insulating material.

3. The combination in an internal combustion engine having an explosion chamber and a port, of a valve for the port, a container, a stem reaching from the container across the explosion chamber tothe valve, hollow for a portion of its length and solid .for the portion of its length contiguousI to the valve, and a spring in said container act.- ing on the stem.

4l. A valve mechanism for internal combustion engines, comprising a valve, a spring container, a hollow stem reaching from the interior of the container to the valve and having a filling'of light heat insulating material, and a spring in the container operating on the stem material.

5. A valve mechanism for internal combustion engines, comprising a valve, a container, arhollow stem reaching from the interior of the container to the valve, having a vent opening into the container, and a filling in the stem.

6. The combination in an internal combustion engine having a plurality of ports, of valves controlling the ports, a plurality of containers in the! engine,^valve actuating means in the containers, a yoke extending over the various containers, and clamping `means betx'ifeen the yoke and the various containers, thel clamping means fth-e vai-ieus eovntainers being independentlyoperable.

7. The combination inan internal `combustion engine having a plurality Ofi ports, oflvaives controlling the ports, la pluralityof containers in .the engine, val-ve actuating means in the containers, a yoke extending over the various containers, and Screws in the yoke that bear respectively against the l0 containers. Y

In testimony whereof I aHiX my signature;

FRANK D. SHEPHERD. 

